Extra Credit

Roxie Hildebrand
period 3
Extra Credit

In November I saw Seussical the Musical.  It was a Northern Lights Junior Theatre production.  Seussical the Musical is a compilation of Dr. Seuss stories, mostly based on Horton the Elephant.  I have seen this show twice now and have grown to love it.  The first time I was introduced to this musical was at the International Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.  It was put on by high-schoolers just as the production here in Juneau, but there was a major difference in the quality of the two shows.  I wanted to write this review and say nothing but wonderful things about the NLJT production, but if I did that, I would be lying.

The show did not start off on a good foot.  It may have been because it was the second show of the day, but all the actors had really low energy.  The singing was quiet and most of the actors on stage were not smiling.  The first number in a musical is supposed to grab the audience and I found myself thinking that I was about to regret the next two hours of my life.  I will say though that the show got better as it went on.  By the end the actors had a lot more energy and were more focused on the show.

There were about six characters that were really amazing and greatly improved the show.  The main character, Jojo, was played by a little girl who was extremely talented.  It was clear to the audience that she loved every moment on stage.  The man who played Horton also did well.  He was as energetic as a depressed elephant could be.  The Grinch and the mayor's wife were other strong characters.   Gertrude McFuzz was my favorite though.  She was a great singer and made her small role seem much larger.  At one point she played instruments on stage which was fun.  Mazy the bird was a fantastic singer, but I found her interactions with the other actors on stage awkward.  That was probably a directors mistake and not her fault though.  The Cat in the Hat was a decent actor, but his singing needed a lot of help.  In a musical being a good singer and understanding music is pretty important.

It was kind of comical watching the choreography.  I've spent many hours working with the two wonderful ladies who choreographed the show.  It was funny to see the same moves we've used in shows here at JDHS used in other shows.  It was also obvious which choreographer blocked out which songs.  They have very different styles, but the combination worked for the show.  I was disappointed with the older actors because they didn't know their choreography.  It wasn't because they had just learned it, it was because of lack of practice.

 I'm being harsh because I know many of the cast members.   NLJT is normally put on by middle-school students and younger, but for this show they opened up the casting to everyone in Juneau.  There were more adults and teenagers than there were young kids.  I've worked with many of the actors before in productions and know they are amazing actors and singers.  I know that they are capable of doing more than they did.